Retail Container Imports to Rise 1.6 Percent in July

Posted on July 11, 2012 by HFN Staff

WASHINGTON-Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports should increase by 1.6 percent this month compared to July of last year, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The report also projected modest monthly increases in import volume throughout the holiday season. "Whether consumers are going to have the confidence to spend during the next few months depends on what happens with employment, but retailers are being cautious optimistic," said Jonathan Gold, NRF's vice president for supply chain and customs policy. "Sales can fluctuate from month to month, but these import numbers show that retailers are still expecting this year to be better than last year."

In May, the most recent month with available data, import volume rose 2.3 percent over May 2011. The Global Port Tracker report projected that June volume will be up 4.7 percent year over year.

Looking further ahead, the report predicted that August import volume will rise 6.2 percent over last year, and that September volume will gain 6.8 percent. October should produce an increase of 12.6 percent, while November will bring a gain of 2 percent, the report added.